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Topics: Flow Manufacturing
Going with Flow ManufacturingTraditional lean projects work well in highly repetitive environments because products can be grouped into small sets of static families with dedicated equipment; however, complex, asset-intensive environments such as consumer goods and pharmaceuticals have to be flexible and in most cases, need to share expensive equipment. In these environments, flow manufacturing, a unique methodology that leverages concepts of Lean and Six Sigma combined with advanced analytics, simulation and optimization software is a better fit. Utilizing the MachSix flow manufacturing methodology, companies replace traditional silos based on function with product "flow paths"-groups of similar products that visit similar workcenters. Flow paths are typically defined to facilitate the logical division of the plant into multiple flows, each of which becomes a small factory into itself. Plants can have as many flow paths as they need. The traditional mantra of Lean is "no software needed." That is true in highly repetitive environments like automotive with a small number of end products and dedicated equipment. But, can you imagine trying to implement Lean in a plant with thousands of SKU's sharing expensive equipment? These kinds of environments need analytics, optimization and simulation software to help them identify and manage variability in products, processes and demand so they can pinpoint immediate problems while creating long-term strategies to break down organizational silos and performance barriers. Flow manufacturing is the equivalent to Lean Manufacturing for complex, asset-intensive environments. By grouping products into families that visit similar pieces of equipment, flow paths provide a means to manage thousands of products through complex routings without dedicated equipment. |
